When driving a vehicle and in particular a large truck the side view and the rear view is important. The rear view is particular important when the vehicle is about to make a turn, such as a right turn or a left turn. However, during a right turn or a left turn blind spots may occur for the driver, which may lead to dangerous situations in particular in cities where there are several road users including vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and cyclist. Every year such vulnerable road users are run down in accidents by turning trucks. These accidents often lead to severe injuries or even death.
Manufacturers of vehicles are continuously looking for new systems and improvements for vehicles to prevent such vehicular accidents, and protect vulnerable road users and assist drivers to avoid accidents. One known vehicle safety system automatically turns the vehicle's headlights when the vehicle is turning around a corner to allow the driver to see more of the road ahead.
Vehicle side rearview mirrors are oriented to provide the driver with an optimum rear viewing zone behind and to the left and right of the vehicle to allow the driver to operate the vehicle more safely. However, when the vehicle is travelling around a corner, changing lanes, merging into a lane of traffic, etc., because the rear viewing zone is fixed there may be a blind spot in the optimum rear viewing angle that may prevent the driver from seeing other vehicles or road users.
To overcome these problems side rearview mirror control systems for vehicles have been developed, where the system automatically changes the rear viewing angle of a vehicle side rearview mirror during certain vehicle operating conditions. The control system receives various vehicle inputs to determine if and when a driver will turn the vehicle, make a lane change, merge into a lane of traffic, etc. The system pivots one or both of the side rearview mirrors to eliminate a potential blind spot during these conditions. In some of these systems, the rearview mirror control system receives input signals from one or more of a vehicle hand-wheel angle sensor, a vehicle yaw rate sensor, a vehicle speed sensor, a turn signal indicator, a global positioning system (GPS) receiver and map information to determine whether the vehicle is turning or will be turning.
Such above mentioned rearview control systems are e.g. disclosed in the international patent applications WO 89/00935 and WO 2006/076105 A2. Also European patent no. 0 293 396 B1 discloses such a system.
From WO 95/23079 a system is known, which uses two electronic compasses or fluxgate compasses in relation to the adjustment of the side rearview mirror. Although such mirror may function well the risk exists that the compass will be influenced by disturbing fields and hence may provide a faulty adjustment signal. This is obviously undesirable.
Although, such systems may function very well and improve traffic safety they are, however, rather complicated to produce and mount on a vehicle. The known systems require multiple types of sensors which may be susceptible to external factors like rain, dirt etc. The known systems may also require GPS and other devices mounted on the vehicle. All these factors complicate and increase the costs of the known rearview control systems. Other system may lack the desired reliability.
Consequently, an object of the present invention is to provide a system for controlling the adjustment side rearview devices on a vehicle which system is simple and reliable.